Exposed verses The Advanced Guitar Shop
Hidden in the depths of Hansworth, Sheffield, is a one of a kind guitar shop, that allows you to create your dream guitar. So whether you are a David Grohl wannabe or a female that wants to unleash the Hayley Williams within, this magical store caters to your musical lusts.
I admit, I was anxious when I first stepped into the foreign world of guitars, being greeted by two pros at guitar with tattoos and piercings; I was not in my comfort zone.
Adam and Gareth first found their love for guitar building at a very young age and after coming across each other in a pub, they both realised that they build their own guitars, some may call it a strange coincidence, and others may call it a match made it heaven. N’awwww! They started in 2011 in Adam’s garage and started doing the spraying and body art for guitars (which I looked at in awe with all the intricate designs). They then realised that the parts were where the big bucks were and decided that it was the key to a successful business. They left their everyday jobs and moved into the shop on the 23rd December, which they both say that Santa gave them their early Christmas prezzie with their own guitar shop! Maybe these guitar lovers were not as scary as they seemed….
What is most amazing about this store is that you can pick your own parts for your guitar, from the base of it, to the colour of the metals used; this guitar shop is your oyster! Gareth says “It does take a lot of time but everything is unique.” They also sell a wide range of guitars too if you don’t have the time to pick out all the parts. The shop relies on their popular internet base but as Adam says “With customers coming into the shop they can find what they want and we can advise them better.” Honest, they’re not that scary so don’t be shy!
So, back to the guitar build! They took me over to the back of the shop where I was greeted with fret boards galore and they asked me to pick a base. Ummm, I cried out. “Do you want a glossy finish, or a wooden look,” they asked. Glossy? The only glossy thing I knew was hair, so I stuck with what I knew and went for the vintage white gloss. Sounds luxurious, right? Next up the neck of the guitar I chose was a twenty-two fret maple vintage satin, which was chosen with ease, as now I knew that I wanted to go for a vintage, timeless classic looking guitar. If I don’t know the technicalities of guitar building, then I stuck with what I do know, is what looks pretty. Is a guitar meant to look pretty? Of course! the black scratch plate that gives it the vintage look
Okay, so for the technical minded here’s the nitty gritty of what went into the making of the guitar, for others you can skip past the technical jargon. (So, we then added, in no particular order, the six individual brass sadals, the tone rider which was a vintage plus which transforms it into electronic sound, the chrome jack cup, the strap locks which were tight which means you can rock out as hard as you can, the split shaft, which keep a everything looking prim and proper, the truss rod, which stops bending at the neck of the guitar, the strings which were Roto orange 9 hybrids! We also used conversion bushings which meant we could add vintage tuners on modern necks, the majority of the stuff we used was brass which is more dense, adding that extra valued tone to your guitar. Good stuff!)
If you’re looking to build your own guitar at home, they sell hardware packages which, like me, losing things can happen all too much, these nifty little things come as a package, so you won’t end up losing that last tiddly screw! Not only this, they will also mend your broken stringed guitar, so dust off that guitar, take it into Adam and Gareth and they will give it some much needed TLC.
All that was needed was them to screw all the bits and bobs together, and after a short pit stop at the pub, we came back to finish watching them add the finishing touches. Adam used embracive rubber to clean the guitar which only took two minutes, but as Adam says, on a second hand guitar it could take up to an hour, so service your guitar just like you would a car! Some guitars are worth more than the price of a car, so this is really important. Finally, I got to pick a strap, tempted by the bright coloured one; I chose a fabric black strap, which coincides with the vintage theme. So, everything was done and now in my sight was my own personalised guitar, all picked by me!
Verdict:
Overall, I thought I did pretty well at choosing the guitar parts, but the real winners are Adam and Gareth whose guidance and patience was top notch throughout the process. Well done guys!
Competition:
This is an amazing giveaway, in which you can win this vintage guitar that was made, worth over £300! Please submit your entries to….
https://www.facebook.com/AGCCUSTOMSLTD
http://www.advancedguitarcentre.co.uk/
Advanced
Guitar Centre
437 Handsworth Road,
Handsworth,
Sheffield,
S13 9DD
